Crowds flock to Billingham’s Festival of Thrift

JUST days after Rishi Sunak watered down the UK’s net zero goals, thousands turned out at the Festival of Thrift in Billingham to show they remain passionately committed to a more environmentally friendly world.

When do they want it? Now!

Those who voted with their feet on Saturday and made the trip to the Tees Valley’s annual celebration of all things sustainable were rewarded with displays of music and dance, artists and performers and a whole selection of makers and menders who passed on tips and skills to young and old.

As well as a host of traders and tasty food from around the world, there was upcycling, recycling and yes, just plain bicycling, but above all, there was a spirit of fun at the free event.

It was ironic that a festival focusing attention on being kinder to the planet had its second day cancelled at short notice because of potentially extreme winds – the first time in a decade the event has lost a day to bad weather.

But that did not dampen enthusiasm for the one full day which showed a glimpse of how inspiring this event can be.

When a rainbow suddenly broke out among the storm clouds which at one point hung heavy over the milling crowds, it felt somehow symbolic.

The Festival of Thrift was marking the tenth year since its Tees Valley launch with a move to Billingham, after seven years spent at leafy Kirkleatham.

In some ways, the move from a predominantly rural to a decidedly urban setting feels fitting at a time when the cost of living crisis highlights the need for hard-pressed families in struggling communities to make a little go as long a way as possible.

That was a point not lost on the event’s co-founder Wayne Hemingway MBE whose talk with Annie Sloan, founder of a successful, sustainable paint company, was one of the highlights of the day.

“It’s great to be in Billingham and to be bringing the festival to a lot of new people,” he said.

“I’ve been at a stall which shows how you can feed a family with a delicious vegetable meal for under a pound, which counters the view that a fast-food meal is somehow a cheap option” he observed. 

“It just underlines the fact that so many things that we can do in terms of sustainability and the environment actually save us money rather than cost us more.

“There is nothing ‘woke’ about what is going on at the festival – caring for the environment used to be second nature to us in past generations. 

“It’s what we always used to do.

“We’ve lost a lot of that in recent decades but we can get it back and I think, I hope, that’s the direction we are going in.”

While Hemingway has been a constant at the festival since its inception, this was Annie Sloan’s first visit and she said: “I have absolutely loved this.

“I think the festival is fantastic for Bilingham and for the whole of the North East and I’ve been asking why there are not more events like this around the country?

“I think there’s a huge appetite for sustainability and caring for the environment among the public and it is not being addressed enough so I’m delighted that it is being celebrated here.”

Throughout the day, thousands of visitors ambled and smiled their way around the attractions on offer – the crowd seeming to be a mixture of those keenly committed to environmental causes and first-time visitors stumbling across the festival for the first time.

That was in keeping with Hemingway’s original view of an event which now has a national and even international profile.

“Everyone involved in the Festival of Thrift is passionate about environmental issues and the need for the public to feel the same passion,” he said, “but we realised from the start that people have got to have fun.

“They’ve got to enjoy themselves first and foremost and then maybe they’ll come around to the value of these things.

“We’re not looking for swift converts, it’s about incremental change in people’s views – that’s how you get there.

“And so the festival is about having fun first, and then maybe spending a bit of time thinking about the issues.

“Its got a feel a bit like a lot of music festivals, like Glastonbury, and I’ve been to Glastonbury, but Glastonburyy’s going to cost you at least £300 for a ticket to go there and after you’ve finished your spending it’s more like £800 or a £1,000.

“The Festival of Thrift is free and that’s something we’re proud of. 

“It’s entirely in keeping with what we’re about, which is people saving money and being kind to the planet at the same time.

“No-one makes a fortune out of this event – the message is more important than money to us – so it has been so good to see so many people coming to Billingham at the weekend and enjoying the festival and what it has to offer.”

Dominic Somers, the Festival of Thrift’s co-creative director said: “We had a wonderful welcome from the Billingham community and while it’s disappointing the weather forecast forced us to cancel Sunday, we packed lots into Saturday.

“This year’s event was short, sweet and sustainable but we’re already looking forward to coming back in 2024.”

• The Festival of Thrift will return to Billingham on Saturday, September 21st and Sunday, September 22nd, 2024.