Spectacular food and flower displays, live animals, some equipment and farming stories will take centre stage inside Ely Cathedral at the annual Harvest Festival this weekend, 07-09 October.
Organised by the National Farmers Union, this family event brings together local organisations and agricultural businesses to showcase the best of farming including high quality produce grown locally in the Fens. Exhibitors consist of some of the leading names in agriculture locally including G’s Fresh, Cambridgeshire Beekeepers, Tompsett Growers Ltd and the National Institute of Agricultural Botany.
Some sheep supplied by farmers Mark Drew and Frances Cook from Rampton, will be taking temporary residence inside the Cathedral over the weekend, alongside the produce and flower displays. Born in February, Alcroft Celine and Alcroft Camilla are prizewinning pedigree British Galway ewe lambs and are fresh from being successfully shown at the Gransden Show.
This theme this year is ‘Harvest Home’ with a spotlight as much on the farmers, as the food they produce. For the first time this year, there will be a display featuring six Fenland farmers talking about their harvest memories and what harvest means for them, their families and the community. Also new to this event is a special ‘pledge tree’ inside the Cathedral where members of the public can send messages of support to the farming community, after what has been a particularly challenging year for many.
This year’s event will also acknowledge the war in the Ukraine, and the impact it is having on farming families there, with a blue-and-yellow-themed floral display. Money raised from the event will go to Ukraine Crisis Appeal.
There is no charge to come into the Cathedral over the weekend to experience the Harvest displays and decorations.
For further information please visit www.elycathedral.org