
Page 7	Newsletter 90, Autumn 2010 © Hampshire Mills Group

Hampshire Water Festival 2010 Report by Eleanor Yates
Tony Yoward relaxing after a busy Saturday morning	This year’s festival was held on Saturday 24^th & Sunday 25^th July at Staunton Country Park, Havant, the same venue as last year, as the organisers find that this is an efficient use of their previous experience and that local people still remember the event. It offered the usual mixture of exhibitors for adults and children: plants, smoothies, bacon sandwiches, face painting, pond dipping, chilli jam, fudge, bread, fast food, live music and many more displays by water related charities and companies. Staunton Park is popular with families and although I have not been told the footfall yet, it was busy on both days.
The Hampshire Mills Group’s stand, which we shared with Eling Tide Mill, was in the marquee which was very stuffy until we undid the side curtains. This year we were in a corner which meant we were not immediately visible. Next year, if possible, we will make sure that we are opposite the door! We took the display boards with added photographs of Havant and Emsworth mills, kindly provided by Tony Yoward, our information leaflet to encourage more people to join the HMG, cards and notelets, books about mills and milling plus flour to sell. Saturday morning was busy with John & Margaret Silman, Tony Yoward and Dave Plunkett talking about mills to all comers, but no sales were made. However, the afternoon and Sunday were much more commercially busy! Diane Jones, Eling Experience Manager, also came to see how the Eling display looked and how well their biscuits and flour were selling.

HMG will continue to support the Hampshire Water Partnership and hope to be exhibiting next year wherever the Water Festival is. It was a very successful weekend and the committee are very grateful to John & Margaret Silman, John Christmas, Carol O’Shaughnessy, Tony Yoward, Andy Fish, Mick Edgeworth and Dave Plunkett, who worked so hard representing HMG on our stand.

Dave Plunkett, selling a range of Eling Tide Mill wholemeal flours

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