Feedback on FoodFest 2016

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On the 16th and 17th September, #FoodFest2016 brought food, fun and even farm animals to the town of Newcastle-Under-Lyme. We spoke to local people and those involved in the event to find out what was a success, what could be improved upon and whether they would like to see another Food Fest in the future.

Tina on the arts and crafts stall talked about how pleased she was to see a high turnout of young families, and said it would be a good idea to have future FoodFest events, maybe in other local towns: “I’ve seen 3 generations today, and the nice thing is to see people taking their time and not rushing. This activity is time consuming and gets messy, so it’s good to see families taking their time and enjoying it, they all seem engaged with what’s going on today”.

Hamidah attended the festival with her henna materials, and commented on how many people had turned up: “If this was here every weekend I’d definitely come every time, it’s been really good to see so many people. I think next year it would be good to have all different kinds of food, like halal and vegetarian, and open kitchens would be cool!”

Tesco were represented by their team who brought their smoothie bike and a supply of fruit to get people thinking about how they can get more fruit into their diet and waste less. Rich, a member of the team, praised the variety of stalls and the organisation, assuring us he would love to get involved again: “It’s been a great day, and people are asking if it’s on next week, everything is just positive, positive, positive and I’d like to see this much more regularly. There really is nothing negative to say, being here has been really good for both of us, and the feedback we’ve had about being involved is great”. Next year, Rich suggested a more centralised setup, so all stalls are closer together and in a continuous line.

Michelle, from Wolstanton talked about how she’d stumbled upon the event: “We were just in town to get a few things, but we’ve ended up staying longer because there’s a lot going on and the weather is lovely! It’s good to see something like this, we’ve bought things from a few stalls and everyone is so chatty and enthusiastic, I’d come again if this was repeated”.

Mr Karrar, from Hanley, said his three young children had enjoyed the animals most: “It’s been really interesting for the children to come and see the animals, they are so cute and they don’t want to leave them. It’s a really good way to get children involved and attract young families”.

Ramona ran the Fairtrade stall on the day with her two helpers, and agreed with others that the activities for children were a real benefit: “There’s good variety in the stalls, and it gives people something to do in town on a nice sunny Saturday. All the stuff for children is a crowd puller because that’s what families want, something entertaining and interesting, and I think that’s exactly what today has been”. Ramona agreed with Hamidah that the event could be improved by having a larger variety of food to eat, including street food and cooking demonstrations.

History 4 Health, part of the Green Door Community Charity, runs local knowledge sharing events, and representatives at Food Fest talked about the benefits of communities coming together to organise and attend events: “There has been so much information shared today, knowledge that people have taken in and given out, we need events like this to keep people connecting and communicating about what is going on in the local area and what they can get involved with. There have been a few groups today who weren’t aware of each other, and now they’re discussing working together because they’ve met today, that’s really valuable”. The History 4 Health team echoed Rich’s suggestion that the layout of the festival could be changed slightly to keep all stalls in a similar, central place.

Tony, of Clayton Scouts, praised the high turnout, particularly of young people: “We’ve been busy talking to people and serving refreshments all day. Lots of young people have been approaching us to ask about activities and getting involved locally. We’d love to see this next yeah, and the Scouts would definitely be happy to get involved again”.

One of the aims of Food Fest 2016 was to raise awareness of food poverty and waste in the local area. Stephanie Parker, of Newcastle Staffs Food bank, talked about the importance of getting information out to the local community so residents know where they can access help, and how they can contribute themselves: “The press around food banks isn’t great so it’s been really helpful to be able to talk to people and let them know that anyone could find themselves needing a food bank, and give them information on how to access help. I think the message about food poverty and the value of networking really came across today. It hasn’t just been about gourmet burgers, but also an opportunity to talk about food, waste, and sustainability and I think it’s gone really well”. Stephanie agreed with others that the opportunity for community groups to come together was a bonus: “Just in the last couple of hours I’ve got talking to two other groups I wasn’t aware of, and now we’re thinking of getting involved with the allotment groups and sharing some of the produce around similar groups in the area which is great”. Again, Stephanie agreed that the layout could be changed slightly so that the event had a clear central space with stalls around it.