Shipston Food Festival

The second year of Shipston’s Food Festival was a resounding success. Run by the Stour Valley Lions, all profits from the event go towards local good causes. This year the event raised over £5,000, all of which will be donated to support the surrounding area.

Opened by Mayor John Dinnie and our Town Crier, Marion Lowe, trading was brisk from the time of opening with the town centre full of stalls selling quality food and drink for the thousands of visitors who attended across the day. The weather held fair and there was a real buzz about town with a local musician adding to the atmosphere. The goods on sale were so popular that several stalls sold out before the end of the day.

Visitors took part in games run by the Lions who also sold 3,000 tickets in the best raffle yet. The amazing prizes were kindly donated by local residents and businesses including Max Warner, The George Townhouse, Pinnock’s Distillery and Tesco. The lucky winners are off to enjoy a glider flight, a supercar experience and a family day at the Cotswold Wildlife Park.

“The Food Festival couldn’t have happened without help and the Lions would like to thank Shipston Town Council for their grant which helped us to get started on the planning process back in the depths of winter,” said Lions’ treasurer Sue Bains. “We want to offer special thanks to those who donated prizes, to all local businesses who opened up on the day and made the event even better and finally to the people of Shipston who flocked to the town centre to support the event!” Photographs of the event are available at (www.shipstonfoodfestival.org/gallery). Next year’s Food Festival will be on Sunday 14th September 2025 – a date for your diary!