Penrith Chamber of Trade & Commerce have announced their plans for supporting this year’s Marmalade Awards & Festival at Dalemain on 16th & 17th March with a free classic shuttle bus service and several ways that local businesses can attract visitors over that weekend.
The buses, supplied by Ravenstonedale-based Cumbria Classic Coaches will ferry visitors between Dalemain and Penrith, with buses operating across the weekend. Chamber president, Stephen Macaulay said “The Marmalade Festival attracts an international audience, so it’s a great opportunity to give visitors a full weekend out and enable them to visit Penrith. What better way to travel than on a classic bus – and all for free! We’re really grateful to Eden District Council who have grant funded us to be able to support local businesses by bringing new visitors to the town”.
In addition, the Chamber are organising a Window Dressing Competition, which will see local shops decorate their windows in an orange theme; and a culinary bake off, with cafes and restaurants competing for the best menu item containing oranges or marmalade. For children, there will be a Marmalade Trail round town with jars in various shops and cafes. All of the activities will be listed in a leaflet which will also contain details of the Marmalade Festival’ timetable of events including cookery demonstrations, lectures, music, entertainment. Dalemain’s Jane Hasell-McCosh, founder of the Marmalade Awards said “It’s great to be able to work in partnership with the Chamber and mutually beneficial to be able to create a single, convenient leaflet for visitors to both Dalemain and Penrith. And I just know that our visitors are going to love travelling into Penrith on the classic buses!”
The Chamber have previously organised the ‘Penrith Goes Orange’ event, but owing to a number of factors, say that this year the event won’t happen on that scale. Stephen Macaulay continued, saying “It was a tough decision for us to make, with funding and staffing to consider. We also took onboard feedback from local businesses, so this year the roads in Penrith will remain open and trade stands will be in the courtyard at Dalemain.”
Businesses who would like to get involved are encouraged to get in touch with the Chamber via their events page on their website www.penrithchamberoftrade.org.uk/events. The deadline for entering the competitions is Friday 1st March.
The World’s Original Marmalade Awards are held at Dalemain Mansion on Saturday 16th March to raise much needed funds for Hospice at Home.
