News Article

The first ever TASTE Longridge Food Festival has been hailed a success by company members today.

The food fair, which was organised and run entirely by Longridge High School’s Young Enterprise company, TASTE, attracted visitors from across Lancashire, and the company estimates that approximately 500 people attended the event.

The day was advertised through large posters and banners being placed at points throughout Longridge, leaflets put through most Longridge letterboxes and through an appearance on John ‘Gilly’ Gilmore’s Radio Lancashire show. A Radio Lancashire broadcasting van also paid the event a visit in the morning.

The fair comprised 15 stands, with products ranging from vegetables to fudge, and cordials to hand made chocolates.

Neil Robinson, a local chef, carried out demonstrations throughout the day. Neil will be the head chef at the Longridge Station Buildings when they are opened in the new year. A member of the team also played the piano at points during the day.

The company’s Managing Director, Thomas Calderbank said “I think the day went very well indeed. We attracted many more people than we thought we would”, another company member, Matthew Leach commented that “The day was a huge success”. The response from visitors was also very positive.

Karen Hankinson said “I got a leaflet for the event through my letterbox last week. I like to support the school’s Young Enterprise teams, so I decided to come down.”

Nearly all the stall holders said that they had a good day and would like TASTE to hold another event after Christmas, but this still has to be discussed at the weekly meeting. The company will be selling its main product, a book featuring recipes from local famous people such as Nick Park and Nigel Howarth at several upcoming events, including the Lion’s Christmas Bazaar on the 5 December and the late night shopping event. Keep an eye on www.tastelongridge.yolasite.com for further details.

Young Enterprise Company Programme includes a national competition where pupils set up their own company, and compete with other schools to reach the national finals. Click here for further details.