DESPITE gloomy reports of Storm Katie, the weather remained dry for Colne’s Easter Event and Food Festival and families came into town to soak up the atmosphere. Hartley Square and the Outdoor Market were transformed into food courts, with curries, pies, cheeses, olives, fudge, chocolate, cakes, Greek food, Mexican food, Asian treats, cupcakes, wine tasting, biscuits, ice cream and Moroccan food all on offer.
Chairman of the Events Committee, Cllr Ash Sutcliffe, said: “It was great to see lots of people having fun in town, whether it was listening to the seriously good acoustic music, riding donkeys, entering one of our competitions or scoffing the delicious food on offer. I’d like to thank our sponsors, Farmhouse Biscuits and Lloyds BMW and Mini and our fab judge, Julie Miles, who put in six hours judging the 800 decorated eggs, the Easter Bonnet competition and the Easter shop window displays.”
Mark Taft, who is the Chef at Nelson and Colne College, did cookery demonstrations, which proved popular, as did the puppet show and hymns by Churches Together. The children’s crafting in the Market was busy all day, as were the facepainters and balloon modellers. The story teller in the Library, Sue Allonby, kept children captivated with her tales and many children brought their families to see their artistic creations on the Easter Trees on the first floor.
Cllr Sarah Cockburn-Price, chairman of Colne Town Council, said “Many traders told us they had a busy day on Saturday, which is great to hear. We were handing out our Events Calendar for Colne, which details not just our events, but all big events in the town. If you didn’t get one of these on Saturday, do pop into the Town Hall to pick one up. Our next event is on 30th April and is the Plant and Seedling Swap and Buy with the National Vegetable Society Roadshow. We are hoping to encourage Colne to get growing their own this season, but this event is not just for gardeners and allotment holders, we will also be running one of our popular Nursery Markets.
