As the dust settles on another fantastic year at the Nene Valley Festival, this week on the blog, we thought we would invite some of our fantastic partners from across the Nene Valley to share their experiences with us and let us know how the festival went for them!
As we have noted elsewhere in this blog already, one of the key supporters of the festival each year is the team at Nenescape and in particular Alison Barker for all of her hard work every year.
Alison told us “From the fantastic launch in Peterborough to the exciting closing event at Stanwick Lakes, the 2019 Nene Valley Festival 2019 was an absolute smash! The nine days were completely jam-packed with events and being able to support an annual event that encourages people to see new and exciting places on their doorstep is brilliant and all thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.”
Indeed the air of celebration evidently made it a little further down the A45 to Stanwick Lakes as well as Mel Humphries [Events & Hospitality Manager at Stanwick Lakes) told us “It’s been another fantastic year of demonstrating what the Nene Valley has to offer!”.
We’ve seen some wonderful photos from the various events that took place at Stanwick Lakes as part of this year’s festival including Cyclefest and our incredible closing Meet the Settlers which bought this year’s festival to a wonderful end!
Another one of the highlights from this year’s festival was the second annual Heritage Family Fun Day at Rushden Lakes. Local businesses from Rushden and Higham Ferrers were invited to have a stall free of charge at the event and over 40local businesses and community groups were pleased to take up the opportunity to set up a stall and promote their business and wares to a new audience.
Julie Thorneycroft from Rushden Town Council told us “Highlights for me personally from the day included an open top bus tour with local tour guides showcasing points of interest and heritage in Rushden and Higham Ferrers, the screening of the Higham Ferrers Charters film in Cineworld and the launch of the autumn edition of the “Shop Local” voucher booklet.”
It was another action packed day (on September 15th) down at Rushden Lakes with other entertainment including performances from local bands, medieval fun and entertainment, heritage displays, family activities and a chance to meet Rushden Town Council’s mascot, Cyril the Squirrel, plus the opportunity to browse a variety of local displays and exhibitions!
Carol Bancroft Turner – who works with a number of partners and organisations added “In partnership with Higham Ferrers Tourism, the Chichele Society and Higham Ferrers Archaeological Research Society, the Friends of St. Mary’s had an excellent day sharing the heritage of Higham Ferrers with a much wider audience. There was a strong Charter theme to the displays and activities with a medieval scriptorium and the Charter Film made by last year’s Year 6 of Higham Ferrers Junior School being shown on the large screen at Cineworld.”
All told this year’s festival was easily our biggest and best yet and we are already looking forward to another big year in 2020! If you attended any of our festival events this year – please be sure to share your feedback with us on social media using the hashtag #NeneValley19
Until then though – be sure to make the most of our new Nene Valley website and browse to find more about the world of history, culture, wildlife and food & drink right on our doorsteps!