With the annual Foxglove Summer Fayre set to take place on Saturday, 9th of July, local businesses in Kirkburton have been preparing for the occasion.
The organiser of the event, Lauren Smallman, has been a shift supervisor at the establishment for a year, ‘I’m absolutely loving it. Event planning falls into my background outside of work, so I picked it up naturally.’
Despite her enthusiasm, Lauren confessed, ‘I haven’t organised any full events, but I am in the events industry. I’m a musician as well, so I’m no stranger to an event.’
She explains that she hasn’t been alone in the arrangements of this year. ‘I’ve actually been lucky enough to have a local woman to the area, whose son used to work here, helping me out since she’s done it many times before. She’s had some really successful years.’
After being asked about her biggest potential challenges, Lauren replies, ‘With staff coming and going, you never really know what you’re going to get. Especially with the stalls, post-COVID, you never really know how many people are going to have stalls going, and how many are going to turn up.’
(Photo Credits via https://www.facebook.com/foxglovekirkburton)
‘The amount of people that have taken up small businesses, especially since lockdown, showcasing their talents and crafts—it’s been a real struggle to find local stalls that are available. In hindsight, I should’ve started looking for them a little sooner.’
She reaffirms her optimism in the event, ‘We’ve all got high hopes. Everything is down to that final push now, getting everything sorted.’
‘The amount of people that have taken up small businesses, especially since lockdown, showcasing their talents and crafts—it’s been a real struggle to find local stalls that are available. In hindsight, I should’ve started looking for them a little sooner.’
Currently, there are about seventeen stalls lined up for the 9th July, with Lauren affirming that, ‘It’s a good number if we have to bring them inside, meaning we don’t have to turn people away. But it’s a great number to get started with, and I hope we can build on it for next year.”
Due to this being Lauren’s first time organising an event of this scale, she shares that it was difficult at first, and is slowly finding it to become second nature.
Locals and regulars at the restaurant are supportive of her efforts. One customer exclaimed, “She’s going to go far; I’ll be bringing my kids along on Saturday.” Another appreciated the community spirit, saying, “We are very lucky to have such a nice place in Kirkburton.”
As the Foxglove Summer Fayre approaches, anticipation is building, and the community looks forward to a day of celebration and local talent.