Volunteers are needed to man the 17th Huddersfield Food and Drink Festival, which is expected to attract 120,000 visitors to the town.
Organisers of the event, from August 3 until 6, are looking for around 100 supporters willing to give their time and talents to the smooth running of the festival, the largest of its kind in Yorkshire.
There are a number of different roles available – from radio operators and stewards to supervisors and kid’s zone co-ordinators – and the hunt is also on for an official photographer.
Sam Watt, a director of Huddersfield Live!, the organisation that has taken over the running of the event, said: “We couldn’t manage without our volunteers. It’s a fantastic opportunity to be part of one of the biggest events of its kind in the country, an event that is big for the town and puts us on the map.”
Volunteers don’t get paid for their time and are asked for a £10 deposit as a token of commitment, but they do get a staff parking pass. Those interested in taking part should contact the organisers on hello@huddersfieldfoodfest.com or visit the website at huddersfieldfoodfest.com/festival-makers
This year’s festival will be the first organised by Huddersfield Live!, a not-for-profits events company run by local business people that made a successful bid to take over the event from the Huddersfield Partnership. The prohibitive cost of staging the festival, around £145,000, threatened its future and for a time it was feared that last year’s event could have been the last.
However, Huddersfield Live!’s festival team – Festival Director Sam, Events Manager Jamie Waters and his deputy Poppy Stahelin – board members and partners have secured corporate sponsorship and were given the green light to run the event for the next three years. While no major changes are planned for the event, organisers say they have made savings where they could and have had to be more creative with their resources.
