Outwith Festival announce sponsorship deal
The Archers are business owners and also performers, as well as long-time supporters of the arts scene in their local area. They are now backing the creative community by helping to fuel the festival with popcorn
Sephra's story began in David's garden shed back in 2003, when chocolate fountains were the height of party glamour. Fast forward to today, and Sephra is a global player in the dessert and bakery equipment world, with a US branch, more than 30 staff, and a popcorn business supplying stadiums and theatres across the UK.
From Manchester City's Etihad Stadium to Dundee United's ground, and from London's West End to the Edinburgh Playhouse, Sephra popcorn is making fans cheer and audiences crunch.
'One of my proudest moments was getting our popcorn into Asda,' said David Archer, Sephra's founder. 'That opened the door to other big retailers – and now we're thrilled to be part of Outwith Festival. It's a brilliant celebration of creativity, and we're proud to support it.'
The five-day event runs from 3–7 September and features a packed programme of music, art, film, literature, and theatre. This year's headliners include Arab Strap and The Twilight Sad and will benefit from the £2,500 sponsorship deal.
Louise Reid, Trustee and Sponsorship Manager for Outwith Festival, said: 'We're absolutely delighted to have Sephra on board, an international company that started in Fife. As musicians themselves, David and Cathryn Archer have a real understanding of how important the arts are to this area, not only for supporting local talent but also for building a sense of community.'
David Archer, SEPHRA Europe Managing Director said: 'It is our pleasure at Sephra to get on board with the fantastic Outwith Festival, which each year goes from strength to strength. My wife Cathryn and I have been involved with performing live music for over 30 years, as such it is something close to our hearts. We are confident that the Festival will be very well received once again, it has another incredible line up of talent. We also hope that all festival goers who pick up a tub of our popcorn very much enjoy it.'
'We have been delighted to have it stocked in a number of theatres, venues and stadia throughout the country, but to have this brilliant collaboration on our own doorstep is the best yet!'
Tickets and full programme available at outwithfestival.co.uk
Like this:
Like
Related
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
The 41st Birmingham Jazz and Blues Festival takes place despite funding cut
A man who has been filling the streets of Birmingham with jazz music for more than four decades was forced to take out a personal loan to keep the legacy Birmingham Jazz and Blues Festival has taken place for its 41st consecutive year, despite losing £45,000 in funding from Birmingham City Council and private about keeping it going, founder Jim Simpson - who was Black Sabbath's first manager - resorted to partly plugging the funding gap from his own pocket.A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said it has recently had to make "very difficult budgetary decisions" but "it is committed to working with partners to secure external funding". Mr Simpson said: "It's extremely disappointing, when we had the first funding cut from Birmingham City Council last year we lost £15,000 which was a major part of our funding."We decided, instead of just lying down and whimpering about it, we'd do something positive, so we put on the biggest festival we've ever put on."This year we've had a further cut, which left us with a very low sum of money, the only way to proceed was to go to the bank and take out a personal loan."We've had some support since then, from West Midlands Combined Authority, Sandwell Council and a GoFundMe fundraiser, but it is going to be tough," he added. Despite the challenges the organisers have faced, this year's 10-day festival headliners have included a celebration of Billie Holiday's music by Lady Sings the Blues, and King Pleasure & The Biscuit BoysBetween 18 to 27 July, 178 performances were scheduled to take place at 103 venues in Sandwell, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Sutton Coldfield and Solihull, with more than 95% free to Veronica Sbergia of Max & Veronica said: "In the music scene we are struggling, we need this kind of event, we need a place where people can gather and feel safe to enjoy music and arts."We absolutely need to keep the festival alive."Mr Simpson added: "The public's support and generosity has also been extraordinary. We are inspired by the ordinary folk who make donations, however small, and who write to us telling us how important this festival is to them." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Are David Beckham's parents the key to mending 'rift' with son Brooklyn? How 26-year-old's beloved grandpa and 'nanny' can help budding chef and his wife Nicola Peltz repair 'difficult' relations
When families suffer drifts, a cuppa at nan's house is often posited as the solution - and it may be no different for even the glitziest of A-listers. So as Brooklyn Beckham - eldest son of football and fashion royalty alike - shared a tribute to his grandfather Ted on his birthday on Thursday, it may well have marked a turning point in his and wife Nicola Peltz 's notorious bitter 'rift' with her in-laws. Sports legend David, 50, and ex-Spice Girl Victoria, 51, too shared a gushing post to the athlete's dad as he turned 77, making him a solid contender for uniting bridges between both couples. It's not the first time a quasi-olive branch has appeared from the budding chef's side - as he also commemorated his 'nana' Sandra's 76th just last month. The septuagenarian may know a thing or two about reconciliation, as he famously fell out with his superstar son in the noughties. However, now seemingly keen on building walls down, earlier this year, he called an end to a two-decade estrangement from ex-wife Sandra - the older generation could be monumental in tiding over troubled waters. David's parents divorced in 2002 following 33 years of marriage - with the process slow because the couple had not been able to agree a financial settlement. The pair were rarely seen together in the years that followed, and it became clear that David had taken his mother's side during the divorce - often pictured with Sandra at family gatherings and promotional events. Meanwhile, Ted was left on the sidelines, with David seemingly struggling to forgive him for printing an unauthorised biography on his England captain son without permission. Even after David and Ted made amends, his parents continued to keep their distance until the tragic death of a family friend in January brought the pair back together. The funeral of legendary Manchester United secretary Kath Phipps reconciled the family, and in a show of unity, David, Sandra, Ted and his wife of three years, solicitor Hilary, were all pictured walking into the church together. Kath had been at the club for 55 years, passing away at 85 years old, and had known David since he was a youth academy player, while Ted had been an ever present at his son's matches for much of his career. It's been suggested that Ted's wife Hilary has been instrumental in bringing him firmly back into the family fold, with the pair both included at numerous family events of late. In September 2023, Hilary was on the front row at Victoria's Paris Fashion Show and the whole family, including Victoria's parents, later posed for snaps in front of the Eiffel Tower. Hilary - who has taken the surname Meredith-Beckham - also posted on Instagram pictures from David and Victoria's Netflix premiere a month later in October. Ted, Hilary and Linda were also all in attendance for grandson Brooklyn's Palm Beach wedding to Nicola Peltz in May 2022, but no pictures were shared of the trio together. Brooklyn Beckham showed not all ties with his family have been severed as he shared a sweet birthday tribute to David's mum Sandra on Thursday Ted was said to have been a harsh taskmaster while David was growing up berating him for any tiny footballing mistakes on the training pitch and matches - and this tough love spilt into his marriage. David admitted as they were growing up, he never saw his father be tender to his mum. He wrote in his 2001 autobiography: 'He loves my mum but he's never been affectionate to her in front of my two sisters and me. He's quite hard-faced and can be sarcastic. 'He also gets fired up easily... The quality I like least in myself is my short temper. I think I get it from my dad.' Ted and David also struggled to bond when the former England captain moved to Real Madrid in 2003 - with Ted admitting the distance meant he feared he'd 'lost him forever'. This was compounded by the 2005 publication of his unauthorised biography David Beckham: My Son, which only deepened the rift. In 2007, Ted suffered a near fatal heart attack - but even then, years passed before a more official rekindling. By 2021 however, old wounds appear to have healed as David was the best man at his father's wedding to partner Hilary in December 2021. Now however, the former England captain may well be ruminating on lessons learned as he faces his own challenges with 26-year-old Brooklyn - who tied the knot with heiress and filmmaker Nicola, 30, in 2022. Tensions were felt in May, earlier this year, when the pair were no shows at any of David's 50th birthday celebrations - with The Mail revealing that Romeo's girlfriend Kim Turnbull had been made the 'scapegoat' in the feud. Since then, seeming snubs and exchanges have been felt between both parties - as well as the occasional hints at what may be peace offerings. Most recently however, Ted and Sandra offered an insight into a potential future peace which lies ahead. Earlier this week, Brooklyn wished his granddad Ted a happy 77th birthday on - after his estranged mother Victoria snubbed him from her family tribute. The eldest son - who despite remaining largely quiet on social media had also posted a birthday tribute to his little sister Harper - shared a phot with David's father, writing: 'Happy birthday grandad. I love you xx.' Meanwhile back home Victoria honoured her father-in-law with a family snap that did not include Brooklyn and Nicola. She captioned the post: 'Happy birthday @tedbeckham kisses' before going on to tag sons Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, as well as daughter Harper, 14. David's mother, too, proved to be a uniting element in June - after Brooklyn shared a sweet birthday tribute to his grandmother last month. 'Happy birthday nanny xx love you so much,' he penned. The 'feud', however, has seen social media posts swing between seemingly hinting at reconciliation to being perceived as snubs. In one instance this week, Brooklyn embraced his billionaire father-in-law in snaps from the family getaway to St Tropez. The eldest son of Posh Spice and David enjoyed a friendly beer with Nelson Peltz, 83, before packing on the PDA with his wife onboard the businessman's superyacht. Amid the trip the couple enjoyed a swanky lunch with Brooklyn's godfather Elton John, who sources claimed planned the dinner in a hopeful attempt to calm the family's feud. Nicola shared a slew of final holiday snaps from the couple's lavish trip before heading home to the US. Meanwhile in early July, Brooklyn appeared to make a very pointed remark as he referred to not feeling like he has the confidence to speak up - and finally feeling empowered in a social media post. As he shared a cooking tutorial for a chicken Caesar salad wrap, the chef dropped a new hint that there is no sign of the feud healing - with the video accompanied by Two Door Cinema Club's I Can Talk in a seemingly pointed nod to the row. The lead singer, Alex Trimble, previously explained the origin and meaning behind the story, which was about when the band first started talking with record companies. Alex claimed they grew sick of people telling them what to do so took initiative and talked for themselves. And last month, Brooklyn failed to acknowledge his father David's knighthood amid the apparent fallout. Friends of the Beckhams said that they were 'not surprised' to see the silence - especially as they 'blame Nicola for controlling him'. Tensions were felt in May, earlier this year, when the pair were no shows at any of David's 50th birthday celebrations - with The Mail revealing that Romeo's girlfriend Kim Turnbull had been made the 'scapegoat' in the feud. A close friend of David reportedly told The Sun: 'David and the family genuinely fear Brooklyn could be lost to them forever. 'The word "lost", here, is especially poignant as it was the exact sentiment used when David fell out with his dad. Ted believed his son would never speak to him again, and he was heartbroken. It was an extremely tense few years, and devastated the whole family.' David previously revealed he had to wait 'over two decades' before getting any approval from his father over his successful football career. Chatting to James Corden on his podcast series This Life of Mine in 2024, David admitted his ambitious drive came from the desire to please his father Ted - earning a 'you've made it boy' only after he won 100 caps. 'My dad never told me I'd done well really until my hundredth cap. That was the first time my dad turned around to me and said, "you've made it boy".' He said he didn't get the same recognition at any other point in his career despite six Premier League titles, two FA cups, four Community Shields and a Champions League title. David was said to be fearing that history is 'repeating itself' as he and Victoria have faced reports over a growing distance between themselves and Brooklyn. A source told The Sun: 'This is Victoria's worst nightmare. The thought of any of her children falling out gives her sleepless nights. 'It's been difficult with Brooklyn since he met Nicola, and there's no denying that there was a family fallout over their wedding. 'But Victoria and David have worked hard to get things back on track, so this is a real blow.' In May, Victoria's social media was filled with photographs from various parties held to celebrate David's 50th birthday, including a bash at their Cotswolds home. The fun-filled celebrations culminated with a massive party held at London's esteemed Michelin-star restaurant Core - andattended by A-list stars including Tom Cruise. David and Victoria's children Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 13, all attended - though Brooklyn was notably absent. It was claimed Brooklyn and Nicola pulled out of attending the Met Gala with the intention of attending David's birthday party, but were no shows at both events. Brooklyn was reportedly planning to attend David's 50th birthday party, but felt too uncomfortable to come after he felt Nicola was being blamed for the rift with his family. Claims that Brooklyn and Nicola were rebuffed when they asked David and Victoria to celebrate David's birthday privately were also said to be untrue. Sources close to Nicola told TMZ they wanted 'to get together privately' to avoid Romeo's girlfriend Kim Turnbull as the couple are said to 'have a problem' with her. Brooklyn missed out on David's early celebrations in Miami last month as well as parties in the Cotswolds, France and London this week. Following the birthday party snub, it was revealed Brooklyn also declined an invitation by his father to join him and his brothers on a 'boys' fishing trip to celebrate his 50th. The Mail revealed David invited Brooklyn on a short break months ago - when he began planning, yet his son failed to go despite arriving in the UK the day he went with Romeo and Cruz. Sources have suggested that Brooklyn's decision was influenced by his American actress wife Nicola, 30. 'Brooklyn was asked to join them ages ago,' one claimed. 'Then he came to London in time but he didn't go. Once again David made the best of things and had a great time with Cruz and Romeo.' David still offered an olive branch to his son as he shared snaps from the trip, as he captioned one of his posts: 'You were missed @brooklynbeckham.' Elsewhere, The Mail reported that Romeo's girlfriend Kim Turnbull was being made the 'scapegoat' in the feud between Brooklyn and David - with Nicola 'at the centre' of the rift. Kim and Brooklyn were undeniably close for a brief period – as photographs of them together in 2016 show - but suggestions that they were ever an item are wide of the mark, according to well-informed sources who spoke to The Mail. In fact, younger brother Cruz, 20, personally shut down the gossip recently when he responded to an Instagram post showing a picture of Romeo and Kim together. In a now-deleted message, one user commented: 'It's appropriate to date your brother's ex too? Cool.' Cruz replied: 'Brooklyn and Kim never dated.' One friend told the Mail's Katie Hind at the weekend: 'This is nothing to do with Kim and is all about Nicola. 'All David and Victoria want is their son back – and they will be there to welcome him any time.' Family friends claim Brooklyn's wife has a pattern of 'starting an argument' before family events and then preventing her husband from attending. Some believe that friends of Nicola have been behind the briefings about Kim being the cause of Brooklyn's rift with his family, some of which went so far to claim that he had told them he refused to come to any event at which Kim was present. A source close to the family told MailOnline: 'Brooklyn was close to Kim because she was dating Rocco and they all hung out in a tightknit friendship group. But that was years ago. Brooklyn and Kim were close, but there was never any romance. 'It seems Nicola doesn't like Brooklyn spending any time with the Beckhams full stop and is using his previous closeness to Kim and her getting in with the family as a reason to not be around them. 'She denies it, but Nicola has been controlling him since the wedding. The family - including the brothers - have had enough of it. 'This is the narrative that's been put out to other news outlets, that Romeo is dating his brother's ex-girlfriend - and that's really weird, so that's why they wouldn't want to be around the family when she is there. 'But none of this is true. And it's really upset Romeo and his parents because Kim is seemingly being used by Nicola as a reason to start the rift. Romeo is furious at the suggestion that he would bring an ex-girlfriend of Brooklyn into the family when there never was any romance.'
Edinburgh Reporter
7 hours ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
A new chapter at Badger & Co – where literary charm meets culinary innovation
Edinburgh's Badger & Co has opened an exciting new dining chapter at its beloved Castle Street location, and what a page-turner it was. Nestled in the New Town where cobblestones echo with centuries of stories and Edinburgh Castle stands sentinel, this reimagined menu weaves together Scotland's finest produce with literary whimsy that would make Kenneth Grahame himself proud. The restaurant's connection to The Wind in the Willows runs deeper than mere theme – Grahame was born at this very address, 32 Castle Street, in 1859. It's a delightful piece of Edinburgh literary history that new head chef Scott Campbell has embraced with creativity. Campbell, supported by his talented team of eight, has crafted a playful, seasonal menu that ventures boldly beyond the 'Wild Wood' of traditional Scottish fare, celebrating local and foraged ingredients with contemporary flair that feels both innovative and authentically Scottish. This is exactly the kind of culinary ingenuity that will captivate both discerning locals and the international visitors flocking to our city for Festival season. D75 The menu structure is thoughtfully designed – small plates for sharing (my usual bugbear, but they work beautifully as starters here), followed by 'the main voyage' cleverly divided into Field, Shore, and Glen options, plus generous sharing sides that elevate the entire experience. The heritage tomatoes with whipped feta, burnt onion emulsion, and black olive crumb was nothing short of a revelation – simplicity executed with such precision that every bite celebrated the tomato's natural magnificence. My dining companion Nicki's Scotsman scallops with haggis, pickled neeps, roast potato aioli, and samphire (which I'll take her enthusiastic word for, being seafood-allergic myself) hit every mark with its inspired fusion of coastal and highland flavours. On our waiter Angus's excellent recommendation, we indulged in Badger's homemade bread with Edinburgh butter and Blackthorn sea salt – the perfect light, doughy accompaniment that showcased the kitchen team's attention to even the smallest details. For mains, I couldn't resist the pork tomahawk from the Field section, glazed with n'duja and red pepper, accompanied by potato gratin, salsa verde, and cavolo nero. But the real star was the side of spring cabbage – forget every terrible school dinner memory you might harbour. This beautiful, sweet spring cabbage with peas, more of that glorious whipped feta, crispy cavolo nero, and a satisfying crunch of pecan was nothing short of a revelation. I am already planning to recreate it at home. Nicki opted for the Cauliflower Steak from the Glen selection, served with butter bean purée, cauliflower couscous, cauliflower leaves, and walnut dukkah. While she was perfectly content with her choice, as a committed carnivore, I'm convinced I chose the winner. Desserts continued Campbell's theme of familiar comfort reimagined. Nicki's Sticky Toffee Tea Party arrived as a perfect mini-loaf made with Earl Grey-soaked puréed dates, drowning in Blackthorn caramel sauce with a generous dollop of clotted cream. My Cranachan Teacake was pure theatre – and here's a tip – definitely ask for both fork and spoon to anchor this beauty, or risk a Julia Roberts Pretty Woman moment when cracking the dark chocolate shell! Once breached, the dreamy interior is revealed – layers of raspberry and whisky jam, marshmallow, fresh raspberries, and rose honey that paired magnificently with a dram of Dalwhinnie, its light, floral notes cutting through the dessert's rich complexity. With Festival season approaching and Badger & Co's prime location near key Fringe venues – Assembly Rooms on George Street, Braw Venues at Grand Lodge, and Greenside at George Street – Campbell has created something perfectly timed for both our cultural calendar and culinary landscape. This is destination dining that will delight international Festival-goers while giving locals a compelling new reason to explore their own city's evolving food scene. Badger & Co represents the best of contemporary Scottish hospitality – rooted in place and story, but bold enough to surprise and delight. It's exactly the kind of innovative thinking our dining scene needs, and I suspect Mr. Badger himself would thoroughly approve. Badger & Co 32 Castle Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3HT Like this: Like Related
