Tees Valley Combined Authority and Tees Valley Mayor is backing the Festival of Thrift to help spread the message about the economic benefits for the region of greener ways of living and working.
The Festival, which is established as the UK’s national celebration of sustainable living, has been held in the Tees Valley since 2013.
This year’s event takes place on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 September at Kirkleatham near Redcar and is expected to attract over 40,000 visitors.
It offers a hands-on weekend packed with creative opportunities for visitors to learn together, discovering how to save money, be environmentally savvy and live a rich and fulfilling life.
Designed to show how a sustainable lifestyle is achievable and great fun, the Festival programme has something for young and old alike, including inspiring artworks and performances, live music, stalls selling one-off upcycled items not found on the high street, thought-provoking talks, workshops passing on skills and thrifty tips and a wide range of innovative food and drink.
Festival of Thrift Director Stella Hall said that it is a unique and uplifting occasion for the Tees Valley area and the investment from the Combined Authority, including support to spread the word about the weekend’s events is very welcome.
“We know that culture is important in the future economic development of Tees Valley and central to the Strategic Economic Plan. With the help of the Tees Valley Combined Authority we are telling people who live in the area about the Festival so they can visit and enjoy it. We are also telling the rest of the UK as we move towards our bid for City of Culture 2025 we are boosting pride in our wonderful region which can be very infectious and persuasive for potential investors and those who will come to live, study and work here.”
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “We’re delighted to be able to support the Festival of Thrift and welcome it back to Tees Valley for the fifth year. Sustainability, at home as well as in the workplace, will play an important part of our region’s economic growth. The people of Tees Valley have always been adaptable, making use of what we already have and rising to new challenges, so Festival of Thrift is a natural fit.”
Further details about the Festival of Thrift are available at: www.festivalofthrift.co.uk