Latest news with #CockerHoopCreative
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Lichfield Food Festival organiser banned from staging events
A festival organiser has been told it will not be able to hold events in part of Staffordshire following an investigation by a local District Council said it had rejected Cocker Hoop Creative Limited's application to hold the Lichfield Food Festival in August and that it would also reject any future applications from the authority said it was urgently considering other options to enable the event to go BBC has contacted Cocker Hoop Creative for a comment. A spokesperson for the authority said: "The council was deeply concerned by last week's news that Cocker Hoop Creative Limited had cancelled the Yorkshire Dales Food Festival less than 14 days before the event."They added that following the decision on Wednesday, any further applications by the company or associated firms to hold events on district council land or public spaces in the district would be rejected."The council understands how important the Lichfield Food Festival is to residents, businesses, traders and visitors," they said."As such the council is urgently considering alternative options to ensure that a food festival does go ahead in August."The authority promised further updates on its plans "as soon as possible". On Tuesday the organisers said they had paused trader applications while an "urgent internal review" was followed the cancellation of the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival, by the same organisers, which had been due to take place later this Arrowsmith, managing director of Cocker Hoop Creative, said there had been "too many challenges" to make the Yorkshire event work. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Lichfield Food Festival under review as other events cancelled
The organisers of a food and drink festival in Staffordshire have paused trader applications while they undertake a "full investigation".The Lichfield Food and Drink Festival is scheduled to take place on 23-25 August, and the news follows the cancellation of the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival, by the same organisers, which had been due to take place later this Arrowsmith, managing director of Cocker Hoop Creative, said there had been "too many challenges" to make the Yorkshire event District Council is understood to be investigating the Staffordshire event, but has declined to comment. In a post on Facebook, Cocker Hoop Creative said: "Following our decision last week to cancel the Yorkshire Dales Food & Drink Festival we have taken the decision to suspend trader applications until we have undertaken a full investigation and Lichfield District Council have undertaken their own review - which we have agreed to and fully support."A spokesperson for the firm told the BBC: "We understand that following our decision to cancel the food festival in Skipton, Lichfield District Council is seeking reassurances that our plans for this year's Lichfield Food Festival are still achievable."We have organised this festival for nine years, and we are working closely with the council on our plans." Another event, due to take place at Bishton Hall and Gardens in September, has also been a post online, The Limelight Orchestra said it was unable to perform at the Disco Classical event "due to circumstances beyond our control, which relate to the arrangements made by the promoter, Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd."The orchestra said it hoped to bring the event to a nearby location next year, adding this would have no affiliation with Cocker Hoop the spokesperson for Cocker Hoop Creative denied this was the case, stating: "Cocker Hoop Creative is not the promoter of this event and is not involved in its delivery." Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival in Skipton is cancelled
A food and drink festival has been cancelled due to "too many challenges" in staging it, its organisers have Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival was set to be held in Aireville Park in Skipton between 18-20 a number of the guests have pulled out of the festival in recent days, including Saturday Kitchen host James Martin and chef Rosemary Arrowsmith, managing director of Cocker Hoop Creative, who organised the event, said they had "simply run out of time" to make the festival work. He said: "It is with a heavy heart that I must admit defeat and share the news that the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival will not go ahead this year."This is not a decision I have taken lightly. We have worked tirelessly over the last year to stage a festival that Yorkshire could be proud of, but there were too many challenges that we could not foresee at the start of this journey and too little time to fix them."He went on to say how the group had saved the festival from administration last year after it had been cancelled when the company behind it, Events by B3 Ltd, went into Arrowsmith said they had since "poured our heart and soul into rebuilding and reimaging the event". He said: "We offered 200 traders a free pitch. We lined up thousands of free masterclasses. We invited amazing chefs and music acts to join us."When we lost our original location (Funkirk Farm near Skipton), the clock started ticking, and even with the best will in the world, we simply ran out of time to make it work at Aireville Park."I'm completely heartbroken and desperately sorry for letting everyone down."Earlier this week, James Martin and Galton Blackiston both said on social media that "circumstances outside my control" meant they would no longer be able to attend the event. Rosemary Shrager also confirmed she would not be appearing either, although no reason was Diaram, who appeared on Masterchef in 2023, said it was "disappointing" that guests had been withdrawing from the said: "A festival of this scale is a huge task involving thousands of people. However the health and wellbeing of all the people involved must be a priority." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Chef James Martin drops out of Yorkshire Dales food festival
Celebrity chefs James Martin and Galton Blackiston have pulled out of this year's Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival, it has been chefs informed fans via social media that "circumstances outside my control" meant they would no longer be able to attend the event at Skipton's Aireville Park later this performers Brutus Gold's Love Train also announced their withdrawal "due to the organiser's failure to meet contractual obligations".Festival organisers Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd denied the claim and assured ticketholders that suitable replacements would be arranged for the cancelled appearances. The three-day festival, which was founded in 2015 and previously took place at Funkirk Farm in Skipton, features street food and pop-up restaurants as well as masterclasses with celebrity was cancelled last year after the company behind it, Events by B3 Ltd, went into liquidation, with Cocker Hoop Creative later acquiring the festival's assets and intellectual property. In almost identical statements, posted on social media, James Martin and Galton Blackiston said they would no longer attend this year's event, which takes place from 18 to 20 July."Unfortunately, due to circumstances outside of my control, I will no longer be appearing at the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival," the statements said."Please contact the organisers if you have any questions."Cocker Hoop Creative's managing director, Jon Arrowsmith, said they were "gutted" about the withdrawal, explaining they had been unable to reach a compromise with Martin."Galton cancelling we didn't even know about," he said, adding that an update would be issued at a later date once new chefs for the line-up were confirmed. 'Challenges' "When we took this festival on, we knew there were going to be challenges," Mr Arrowsmith said."We didn't realise how much was going to come against us but as a team and working with the council and all the local businesses working together, we're going to get this right. "We're going to give you a weekend you're going to love."The current line-up includes celebrity chefs Rosemary Shrager and Simon Rimmer and would have seen Brutus Gold's Love Train provide musical the group said on Wednesday it had withdrawn from the event, citing "the organiser's failure to meet contractual obligations, including non-payment."Mr Arrowsmith disputed the claim, stating that the entertainers were dropped due to members of the group allegedly being "abusive and rude".Brutus Gold's Love Train declined to comment on the allegation. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
