Food & River Festival launch new scheme to boost local economy

Story posted on June 22, 2022

THE MELKSHAM Food and River Festival has launched a new initiative to help encourage people to shop local. 

Festival’s business committee member, Alan Whetherly, with chair of the committee, Adrienne Westbrook.

The team behind the popular annual event has introduced a new ‘business card’ that will encourage visitors to this year’s Festival in September to shop in partnering local businesses, benefiting from a one-off discount on their purchase. 

“The aim of the scheme is to drive more customers into the town to use the shops and services,” explains the festival’s committee. “Business that sign up to the scheme will give their customers a 15% discount on any product they buy during, and in the 28 days after the Festival. 

“Businesses will be advertised on Festival literature as being part of the scheme.  The card can only be used once, for one purchase, during September 2022. 

“Last year The Food and River Festival, the biggest free event in the area, had 18,000 visitors and we would like the businesses in Melksham to benefit from our customer base. The Festival’s business committee member is Alan Whetherly and he will be visiting local shops and businesses to sign them up over the next month. Participating shops will display a poster to show their support.” 

Chair of the Festival’s committee, Adrienne Westbrook, adds, “It is a long-held ambition to find a way to link the enormous and growing success of the Festival to support for businesses in the town. The Festival committee organise the event for local people and it would delight us if our fabulous local businesses benefited too.” 

For information, please contact the Festival by email: info@melkshamfoodandriverfestival.co.uk; or call 07595 420021.