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South Lakeland residents and businesses have helped raise more than £4,000 for Kendal’s popular annual street arts festival Mintfest.
The cash was raised at a special dinner and auction event at Kendal College on Friday, March 2 which was hosted by local MP Tim Farron.
Mr Farron acted as auctioneer as 22 unusual items went under the hammer. Among the most popular were a mountain top picnic created by award-winning chef, Steven Doherty, a former head chef of the Roux brothers’ restaurant Le Gavroche, and a bespoke bread-making course with Staff of Life artisan baker Simon Thomas. Tim Farron also donated a surprise, last-minute item for auction – a curry with him, Lembit Opik and friends.
Tim says: “I’m a real fan of Mintfest, so I was very happy to help out at the auction. I go to the festival every year with my family and it’s a great occasion."
Mintfest recently lost its funding from the North West Development Agency and although, Lakes Alive, who run the festival, has replaced over 50 per cent of this money, more funds are still urgently needed.
Julie Tait, from Kendal Arts International, the creators of Lakes Alive and Mintfest, say: “We are really grateful to all the wonderful people who supported our dinner and auction. Local businesses were very generous with the prizes that were donated and each of the items that was sold will pay for a street artist to perform at this year’s Mintfest.
“However, we still have some way to go to raise all the money we need to make sure that Minfest 2012 lives up to the high standards of previous years, and is the type of festival that audiences have come to expect."
The dinner and auction kick-started a special month of fund-raising in aid of Mintfest. As part of this, Kendal Arts International has teamed up with Furness Building Society to offer savers the chance to open a Lakes Alive Affinity Account.
The Furness will make a donation to MIntfest based on the balance held in all affinity accounts. Therefore, the more account holders save, the more the Furness will donate to Mintfest.
In another fund raising measure, attractive, limited edition Mintfest pin badges will soon be on sale in shops in and around Kendal. The badges have been produced by the Herdy Company, the company behind the popular Herdy brand, and all proceeds from the sales will go to Mintfest.
Lakes Alive is the county’s unique contribution to the Legacy Trust UK programme, which was set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
Lakes Alive is one of three Annual Legacy Programmes which are part of WE PLAY, funded by Legacy Trust UK, creating a lasting impact from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by funding ideas and local talent to inspire creativity across the UK, and the Northwest cultural legacy programme for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. It is has also received funding from Arts Council England.
For more information on Lakes Alive visit www.lakesalive.org or join the Lakes Alive facebook group.