for another year
With the outdoor ‘festival’ season mostly over it is time to put the WWOOF UK promotions kit into storage and pause for thought.
Twenty WWOOF UK members have answered the call to go forth and tell the world about the wonders of WWOOF this year. Between them they represented us at twenty-four different events from smallholder and agricultural shows to green fairs and music festivals with the odd conference and gap year event too.
Particular highlights included the whole of Tan y Fron Co-op heading to the Royal Welsh Agricultural Spring Show where they not only met the crowds at the WWOOF UK stall but also ventured into the Organic Centre Wales Dome to give a talk on all things WWOOF.
No event could have pulled out the stops for us more than Ludlow Green Festival. Our rep, Rosemary, was using public transport to get to a Sunday event on a Bank Holiday weekend and needed somewhere cheap to stay overnight. In the end Friends of the Festival not only accommodated her for two nights but also generously allowed our kit to be delivered to and collected from their front door by courier. Writing to me afterwards Rosemary said: ‘I had a fantastic time at Ludlow, on so many levels! My hosts were lovely and it was a holiday for me too, invited for dinner at their friends’ after the fair, complete with homemade strawberry ice cream (with home grown strawberries!) and homemade blackberry vodka!’ I think Rosemary probably go the best repping experience of the year!
Over the winter we will be making some improvements to our promotional package. Transition Stroud’s textile group will be knitting us an inedible edible garden complete with knitted carrots that can be pulled from knitted soil – and sewing some vegetable bunting. I hope this will be ready in time for the new season – and act as a good attractor for members of the public when we are out and about again.
If, after reading the above, you feel inspired to accompany it on tour in summer 2016 and tell people far and wide about WWOOF and the impact it has had on your life please contact amanda@wwoof.org.uk.
