A look back on the highlights of the Autumn fayre 2022 as part of York Environment Week: celebration of working together, having the power to make a difference for the planet and enjoying natures harvest.
After a two-year hiatus, we were pleased to see the return of our much-loved Autumn Fayre. The weather held out as we once again welcomed over 500 people to St Nick’s Environment centre and nature reserve. We had some fantastic music from contemporary folk act, Esk, featuring Helen Bell & Richard Lane, local rock duo The Ice-cream Sundaves and a closing set from Ceilidh legends Rastrum. All performed using a renewably powered amplification system!
In the meadow, we had an array of free activities taking place. Our Green Mentor, Freya made sure everyone looked the part with a willow crown– making workshop. Our Natural Habitats team were showcasing the Green Corridors Project, whilst planting a mix of meadow plants that will be sure to provide a vital food source for wildlife throughout the year.
With the focus of the event encouraging sustainability and environmental awareness, Lisa-Marie from Creative Avenue ran a “have a go” mosaic workshop. Utilising broken china, tile and found objects, turning them into beautiful mosaic artwork, which will be showcased at St Nicks centre.
Meanwhile in the woods, bushcraft leader Wolf from Forest Quest proved extremely popular, with adults and children alike learning the basics of shelter building, fire lighting and crucially, how to toast the perfect marshmallow!
2pm saw the arrival of 100 cyclists of all ages. The Autumn Fayre marked the finish line for York Cycle Campaigns, “Kidical mass” social cycle ride. YCC encourages York residents to ditch the car and get outside, as well as highlighting the benefits cycling can have on our bodies and the environment.
The fun didn’t just stop in the meadow! At the Environment Centre, Abundance York and hard-working volunteers offered freshly pressed apple juice. Over eight crates of apples were juiced in our press, with nothing going to waste as the pulp will be used to feed local live stock. Big thank you to our juicers and everyone that picked and donated so many apples: the juicers enjoyed trialling which varieties tasted best.
In the hall, there were bakes to buy and delicious soup kindly made by Joe from Food Circle, which was served with fresh Haxby Bakehouse bread, yum! So tasty that we sold out within the first two hours. Martha enticed many from the hot drinks queue into having a go on the Tombola, which saw many happy prize winners and raised a brilliant amount in donations. Win, win!
Along with homemade produce, there were beer offerings from Malton– based brewery, Brass Castle and Yorkshire cider from Colemans.
Our Ecotherapy team delivered a fantastic recycled poetry and nature writing session. Meanwhile next door, our judges Joan and Jean over saw the annual Longest Peel competition. Congratulations to our winners Ayse Kaban-Bowers (peeling 83.75 inches) and junior winner Kai, who managed 21.38 inches.
The recycling team ran their popular “Sort it!” challenges throughout the day, putting recycling skills to the test, against the clock.
This year we were able to offer four walks, all covering a range of topics and providing opportunities to learn more about St Nicks nature and mindfulness practice. Carl Wain gave an informative introduction to foraging, which 40 people took part in. Storyteller and writer Pat Ryan combined folklore with science and led two mesmerising story telling sessions about trees. These were kindly provided through the Branching Out Project, which uncovers the social and cultural values of urban trees.
The Autumn Fayre provides a wonderful opportunity to connect people with York’s local businesses, community groups and organisations who are focused on sustainability and the environment. Many thanks to all our stallholders;
Fulford Community Orchard i-travel York Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
York Community Energy Abundance Global Justice Now York
Sustrans Blueberry Academy SF Innovations Creative Avenue York
Last but not least, we would also like to thank the following for supporting the event in other ways, we could not have done it without you:
All those who helped put the event on, volunteered or contributed in any way!
