Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Ref: SPFC/PR.003 – Falconry

Close encounters of the bird kind at the new

Southport Plant, Food & Country Fair

The new Southport Plant, Food and Country Fair on Saturday and Sunday, April 12 - 13, at the Stanley Sports College, is a golden opportunity to see the magnificent hawks, owls and falcons of the Pen Y Bryn Falconry Display.

Falconer John Islwyn Jones is based on a working farm at Corwen in Denbighshire, North Wales, and visitors can catch his aerial demonstration and static display on both days.

Highlight of the show – weather permitting – comes when John forms a human runway and brings a hawk in to land so close you can feel the wind from its wingtips on your face.  Truly a close encounter of the bird kind.

“Our static exhibition consists of around ten different birds of prey, which gives people a chance to see and even handle them at close quarters,” said John, “In the arena we try and be both informative and entertaining.  Spectators have a chance to see high-flying falcons being stooped to a lure and we encourage members of the public to join us in the arena to see the birds flying at ultra close quarters.

"These are real working birds and everything we do is based around the training they receive on the farm and the pest-control work they do for us."

While show supremo Kelvin Pye, from Southport, added: "This is a brand new event and our first Festival of the year and one of the first of the 'Country Season'.  I am delighted to have John with us, he puts on a great show and his demonstrations will be an important part of our overall programme."

That programme ranges from cookery demonstrations to a chainsaw carver and also includes, ferret racing, fly-ball canine competitions and an Open Dog Show, Morris Dancing, sheepdog displays, Chirpy the Clown, helicopter rides and lots, lots more, 

1^st Southport Plant, Food & Country Fair - 10.00 - 17.30, Saturday and Sunday, April 12 - 13, 2008, Stanley Sports College, Fleetwood Road, Southport PR9 9TF. Tickets: £3.50 for adults, £3.25 for senior citizens - or just £3.00 for both if booked in advance via the Ticket Hotline on 01492 523410 - children (over three years) £1.00 or just £8.50 for a full Family Ticket.

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Memo to News / Picture Editors: a selection of high-quality JPG pictures, including John Islwyn Jones’ ‘runway’, is available upon request.  If required please call or email Anglian Public Relations on the numbers below.

For further information please contact:

Kelvin Pye

The Garden Festivals Company

12 Bartons Close

Southport PR9 8NF

Tel: 01704 212734

Email: kelvin@garden-festivals.co.uk 

Website: www.garden-festivals.co.uk

OR Laurie Pott

Anglian Public Relations

The Red House

The Street

Fornham St Martin

Suffolk IP31 1SW

Tel: 01284 768784

Email: lauriepott@waitrose.com

06/02/08

Ref: SPCF/PR.002 – New Show

Response to new Southport Plant, Food

& Country Fair: “bloomin’ marvellous”

Organisers have described the initial response to a new Southport plant fair as “bloomin’ marvellous”

The inaugural Southport Plant, Food & Country Fair will be held at the Stanley Sports College, Fleetwood Road, Saturday and Sunday, April 12 – 13.

It is the brainchild of Kelvin Pye, whose Garden Festivals Company, organises shows throughout the North West, but who lives in Southport.

He promises a ‘show for all the family’ with somewhere between 50 – 75 stands plus a full programme of event on both days.  These will be heavily weighted towards growers / nurseries and general garden trade plus local crafts and a separate ‘Food Hall’.

Entertainment already confirmed live music, the Argameols local Morris dancing side, floral demos and Gardening Question Time with the show’s resident experts, dog shows, falconry demonstrations, ferret racing and sheepdog displays.

Kelvin set up the Garden Festival Company four years ago but has been involved in event organisation for many years.  This year he will be running a total of seven shows: one in the Ribble Valley just outside Preston, two on the Wirral peninsula, two in North Wales, one at Aberford in South Yorkshire plus this new Southport venture.

 “We are part of what is known as the Country Season and I was looking for an ‘early’ new event to start things off,” he explained, “I live here in Southport - although I’m originally from Ormskirk – so I thought: ‘why not here ?’

“We already get people from the town visiting our Ribble Valley and Wirral shows and it seemed like an ideal opportunity to show-case what we can do.

“I’m realistic enough not to have expected miracles in Year One – but I do believe the show will grow to become an important part of our overall package in years to come.  However I have been absolutely delighted with the response so far and bookings are actually running ahead of some of our more established events.”

Kelvin added that alongside the Food Hall he also hoped some form of Healthy Living Pavilion and discussions were under way with local farmers’ markets, the Sefton Primary Care Trust, the British Heart Foundation, Active Sefton, the Brighter Living Partnership and with Stanley High School for its food technology students to provide ‘healthy’ cookery demonstrations.

1^st Southport Plant, Food & Country Fair - 10.00 - 17.30, Saturday and Sunday, April 12 - 13, 2008, Stanley Sports College, Fleetwood Road, Southport PR9 9TF. Tickets: £3.50 for adults, £3.25 for senior citizens - or just £3.00 for both if booked in advance via the Ticket Hotline on 01492 523410 - children (over three years) £1.00 or just £8.50 for a full Family Ticket.

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For further information please contact:

Kelvin Pye

The Garden Festivals Company

12 Bartons Close

Southport PR9 8NF

Tel: 01704 212734

Email: kelvin@garden-festivals.co.uk 

Website: www.garden-festivals.co.uk

OR Laurie Pott

Anglian Public Relations

The Red House

The Street

Fornham St Martin

Suffolk IP31 1SW

Tel: 01284 768784

Email: lauriepott@waitrose.com

04/02/08

Ref: SPFC/PR.002 - Diary Dates

2008 Diary Dates . . . 2008 Diary Dates . . . 2008 Diary Dates

*New for 2008* 1^st Southport Plant, Food & Country Fair - 10.00 - 17.30, Saturday and Sunday, April 12 - 13, 2008, Stanley Sports College, Fleetwood Road, Southport PR9 9TF. Tickets: £3.00 for adults, £2.75 for senior citizens - or just £2.50 for both if booked in advance via the Ticket Hotline on 01492 523410 - children (over three years) £1.00 or just £7.50 for a full Family Ticket. *New for 2008*

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For further information please contact:

Kelvin Pye

The Garden Festivals Company

12 Bartons Close

Southport PR9 8NF

Tel: 01704 212734

Email: kelvin@garden-festivals.co.uk 

Website: www.garden-festivals.co.uk

OR Laurie Pott

Anglian Public Relations

The Red House

The Street

Fornham St Martin

Suffolk IP31 1SW

Tel: 01284 768784

Email: lauriepott@waitrose.com

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Ref: SPFC/PR.004 - Dogs

Paws for thought . . . and bring your dog to the

Southport Plant, Food & Country Fair

The new Southport Plant, Food and Country Fair on Saturday and Sunday, April 12 - 13, at the Stanley Sports College has to be one of the town’s most ‘dog friendly’ events . . . so don’t leave them at home, bring them along !.

There's plenty of fun for all the family – including the family dog - with Fun Dog Shows on both days.

The show is being organised by Jenny Tavener of the Wirral Flyball Demonstration Team, and there will be a total of nine classes:

• Best Puppy • Best Pair of Dogs

• Best Six Legs . . . dog and owner ! • Best Waggiest Tale

• Best Bitch (between 1 & 10) • Best Dog (between 1 & 10)

• Best Veteran Bitch (over 10) • Best Veteran Dog (over 10

• Best Champion of Show

Entry is just 50p per class with rosettes and prize money paid from the entries.

"We always get a wonderful reception from the audience when we do our dog agility and Flyball demonstrations.  We’ve been told this is a very 'dog friendly' event and we thought it would be nice to do something fun that both the audience and their pets can participate in," said Jenny.

The Flyball Canine Competitions where teams of dogs race against other – shuttle-fashion – to retrieve balls from a ‘trap’ have proved an increasingly popular and integral part of the South Wirral Shows over the years.  They will be held on both days - together with the equal popular dog agility demonstrations – with two displays either side of the lunchtime Dog Show.’

While shows supremo Kelvin Pye, from Southport,  added: "I'm a dog-owner myself and so I really appreciate how much it can mean to have a genuinely dog-friendly event.  Obviously we'd like to encourage people to bring their pets along and have some fun.  This is a brand new event and our first Festival of the year and one of the first of the 'Country Season’.”

The programme ranges from cookery demonstrations to a chainsaw carver and also includes, ferret racing, Morris Dancing, sheepdog displays, Chirpy the Clown, helicopter rides and lots, lots more, 

1^st Southport Plant, Food & Country Fair - 10.00 - 17.30, Saturday and Sunday, April 12 - 13, 2008, Stanley Sports College, Fleetwood Road, Southport PR9 9TF. Tickets: £3.50 for adults, £3.25 for senior citizens - or just £3.00 for both if booked in advance via the Ticket Hotline on 01492 523410 - children (over three years) £1.00 or just £8.50 for a full Family Ticket.

- ends -

Memo to News / Picture Editors: a selection of high-quality JPG pictures is available upon request.  If required please call or email Anglian Public Relations on the numbers below.

For further information please contact:

Kelvin Pye

The Garden Festivals Company

12 Bartons Close

Southport PR9 8NF

Tel: 01704 212734

Email: kelvin@garden-festivals.co.uk 

Website: www.garden-festivals.co.uk

OR Laurie Pott

Anglian Public Relations

The Red House

The Street

Fornham St Martin

Suffolk IP31 1SW

Tel: 01284 768784

Email: lauriepott@waitrose.com