By Jill Stocks
There will be a new event in Horsforth this June, a new family orientated festival, and everyone is invited to join in the community celebration.
Organised by Horsforth Town Team alongside Horsforth’s city councillors, Horsforth Festival will take place on Horsforth Hall Park on Saturday, 27 June from noon until 8pm.
There will be plenty going on at the festival, with stalls, crafts, live music and performers and food and drink.
Dave Brosnan, from the Town Team, says preparation is well under way for the event.
“We’ve found that there’s a real want for people in Horsforth to have a festival and that’s not just coming from nowhere,” he said. “The Town Team have put on reasonably sized events for the last three or four years now; the Christmas lights switch on, the coronation, and we’ve worked hand in hand with the town councillors on that.
“So this year we decided to do something in the summer. We wanted to have a summer event from the Town Team and there is a gap in the diary now for Hall Park.
“We’ve got a great park there and it does get used by all sorts of organisations but we’ve never used it before. This is going to be a community celebration for Horsforth. Family orientated, we’re not going to have loads of funfair rides, we don’t want that vibe we want it to be very much family orientated.
“There’s going to be a football tournament and a mini Olympics, organised by Victória Martinho Vieira Da Cunha. There will be food, there will be live music, there will be entertainment, there’ll be things for the children to do.
“This is the first event, this is the first time we’ve done it in this format, but we do see it being a regular occurrence, we do see it happening every year now in the middle of the summer, on the park.”
Festival organisers have been grateful for advice from their neighbours in Kirkstall, having spoken to Roger Plumtree, Kirkstall Festival Chair, and the organising team there.
“The Town Team are not new at this type of thing. We’re very good at putting events on, but this is different, using the park is very like what the guys at Kirkstall festival do. There’s no ambition to turn this into that, it’s not about that, we want to keep it as Horsforth festival.
“We will have local musicians playing. LS18 Rocks will be involved, Horsforth Music Centre are going to get involved as well, and other local musicians to be confirmed. We’re also looking at ways of linking to Leeds 400. We are getting really great help from the city councillors. Hopefully it’ll be something we can repeat year on year and make it grow.”
Cllr Emmie Bromley (Lab, Horsforth) is looking forward to a great event.
“I’m really excited to collaborate with the Town Team on what hopes to be the first of many Horsforth Festivals to come. This is inspired by the Gala, but having taken some feedback around schools being under pressure to provide for the Gala in a busy school year, for now we’ve gone for it being based in Hall Park and open for engagement by all, whether you’ve prepped or not – they’ll be something for everyone and very much about community.”
The festival will also feature the first ever young entrepreneur stall, inspired by a meeting Cllr Bromley had a couple of months ago.
Jenn and James Ferrier told us more about it.
“Inspired by our six-year-old daughter’s drive to build something of her own, we realised local young people needed a dedicated space to turn their business ambitions into reality. We are delighted to be involved in the launch of the first Horsforth Young Entrepreneurs table and can’t wait to see how this can help our daughter and other young people grow in confidence and business experience.”
Lyndsey Acaster, from The Old King’s Arms, is really pleased that they will be a part of the Hall Park event.
“The Old King’s Arms has always been about more than just being a pub — we’re a community hub, and that’s why we love getting involved in events like this that bring people together.
“After the success of the beer festival at St Margaret’s Church last year, we were really keen to do something similar again. Unfortunately we couldn’t secure a venue large enough ourselves, so when Dave approached us about getting involved with this event, we absolutely jumped at the chance.
“We’ll be there with a fully stocked bar alongside our friends at Horsforth Brewery, ready to keep the good people of Horsforth refreshed on what we’re hoping will be a glorious sunny day in the park.
“And of course, once the event wraps up, everyone’s welcome back to The Old King’s Arms to watch England kick off their World Cup campaign together.”
Horsforth Brewery founder Mark Costello said: “We’ll be putting on a bar showcasing some of the beers that have been brewed right in the heart of Horsforth.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to gain exposure in Horsforth where it feels like a large proportion of people still haven’t heard about us, so it’s great the Town Team are hosting the event to showcase Horsforth businesses.”
The organisers are also very grateful for the sponsorship they have received from local businesses; Bartlett’s insurance, Leeds Bradford Airport and Tudor International Freight.
Andrew and Richard Bartlett are joint Managing Directors at Bartlett. They said: “We’re pleased to be supporting the first Horsforth Community Festival, as we have done with the Horsforth Gala in previous years.
“Bartlett has been operating from Horsforth since our grandfather, Fred Bartlett, bought a small section of Broadway Hall in the 1960s, and the community has supported our growth ever since.
“Many of our staff live in and around Horsforth and we hope to continue supporting fellow Horsforth residents for years to come, whether that’s sponsoring this festival, the gala, Horsforth Community Garden or the many wonderful schools in our town.
“Hopefully the Horsforth Community Festival will be the first of many community festivals for us all to enjoy.”
A spokesperson for Leeds Bradford Airport said:
“Leeds Bradford Airport is proud to sponsor this year’s Horsforth Festival, supporting an event that celebrates and brings together the local community.
“As Yorkshire’s airport, we’re committed to making a positive impact beyond travel.
“Through our Together for Tomorrow strategy, we’re focused on creating lasting social value, supporting local communities and helping build a more sustainable future for the region.”
The organisers are looking for stall holders for the festival, and priority will be given to people from in and around Horsforth. Prospective stall holders should have their own gazebo and public liability insurance.
You can apply for a stall using this link and you can keep up to date with any festival news on the Town Team facebook page.
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