Local Crafters Show their Wares

Saturday 28th July saw the first Kentish Craft Fair come to Riverhead.

Helen Cook is the mastermind behind Kentish Craft Fairs, she says: "The crafters and food producers are out there. What they need are markets and outlets to get their great items out to the public."

We asked her about her aims with the Fairs: "We run craft fairs with an ethos to promote and provide an outlet for handmade, artisan crafts and regional delicacies from independent or small producers from the county of Kent. We also want to make each fair into a genuinely enjoyable community event for all ages, that’s why we had free children’s games and activities at the first Riverhead Kentish Crafts Fair on Saturday. And it seemed to work because so many people said what a nice atmosphere it was and how relaxing and friendly."

Was it successful? "It was a great success! Especially as it was the very first one. We had around 33 stalls of crafts and food and it was a lovely sunny day which helped. A constant flow of visitors came all day right up til closing time at 4pm which was great."

With high street landlords struggling to rent their retail properties it would first appear that the current economic climate has put off many would be small business owners. However, the opposite seems to be true. There are plenty of small local businesses springing up and flourishing but they are choosing to use alternative methods to achieve their goals.

The success of events like the Kentish Craft Fairs also shows that the public want what these local producers have to offer and are willing to support them. Locally sourced goods not only support the local community and economy but are also friendlier to the environment as they travel shorter distances to market. This ticks a lot of boxes with those who dislike global big business.

Nevertheless, the question remains whether enough local people will go out of their way to find these products or whether the crafters will need to make them available in more prominent locations. Cost will be a strong factor in this equation. We shall continue to follow how things progress.

The next Kentish Crafts event will be:

Date: Sat October 20th 
Time: 10.30am to 3pm 
Location: St Mary's Church Hall and grounds, London Road, Riverhead Sevenoaks, TN13 3DR.

An indoor craft fair with stalls of fine crafts and gourmet foods plus an outdoor fresh foods and bakery harvest food fair, crafts and free activities for children and refreshments all day.

www.kentishcraftsfairs.co.uk
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