WOFA News
The latest news from WOFA
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Thursday, 24 April 2008
Whitstable Oyster Festival takes shape.
The full programme details will be released in a few weeks, once all the events are agreed. This year more local and national sponsors have seen the benefits of aligning with the Festival, seen as a great, wholesome and unique range of events.
Whitstable Oyster Festival Association secretary, Brian Baker, thanked the residents of the Town in welcoming Mair saying, "WOFA members constituted the majority of the interview panel when we were looking to appoint a new coordinator. We chose Mair as the person best able to help us develop the sustainability of the Festival into the future.
"The massive amount of hard work she has put into forging new links with all sectors of the local community together with the new ideas she has developed jointly with the townspeople bode well for this and future Festivals.
"In working alongside Mair, and with the professional support of Canterbury City Council's Arts and Creative Development team, Whitstable people have forged partnerships that are not only giving local people more say and involvement in their own town, but paving the way of the continuation of such events in regard to current legislation."
WOFA is always keen to talk to any residents or businesses who have ideas for the Festival, or wish to get involved in supporting, planning or delivering the Festival in any way. WOFA can be contacted through it's website www.wofa.org.uk
Labels: Oyster Festival, Whitstable Oyster Festival 2008, WOFA
Friday, 7 September 2007
Thank you , Art Hewitt.
At a meeting on Thursday evening, held appropriately at Dredgerman's Court, Art Hewitt, Festival Coordinator, and the members of WOFA, thanked the many local residents and businesses that had supported or taken part in, the very successful 2007 Whitstable Oyster Festival.As this was also Art's last public appearance before leaving his post it was also an opportunity for the guests to thank him for the fantastic job he had done over the last three Festivals.
Art spoke of his hope that the Oyster Festival would, in the partnership between Canterbury City Council and the people of Whitstable in the form of WOFA, continue to evolve whilst remaining true to the foundations on which it was based. He now felt that the Festival was embedded back into the heart of the town with the residents, particularly this year, having realised that once again the Festival belonged to them.
Art thanked the support he had received from the Council's Creative Development team and the local knowledge he had gained working alongside the members of WOFA.
Brian Baker, WOFA's Secretary, said that although Art was moving on, the infrastructure that he had built was remaining. WOFA members would be sitting on the interview panel for the Coordinators position and would be building on the links that Art had made. In the time that Art had been coordinator attendance figures had increased year on year, more events aimed at the local community had been instigated, and the awareness of Whitstable, Whitstable Oysters and the Whitstable Oyster Festival had grown to new levels, both nationally and internationally.
Brian went on to thank Art for all he had done and, on behalf of the Wofa members, presented Art with a pair of silver oyster shells and a theatre voucher. Additionally, WOFA member and artist, Jon Bird, presented Art with a picture he had painted depicting Art relaxing in a Whitstable beach-hut.
Labels: Art Hewitt, Whitstable, Whitstable Oyster Festival 2007, WOFA
Sunday, 29 July 2007
Whitstable says "Thank you".
As the 2007 Whitstable Oyster Festival comes to a close we would like to say a very big Thank-You to everyone who was involved in the Festival, as a participant, event producer, partner, sponsor, resident or visitor.
When all the reviews, attendance numbers and coverage of the Festival is fully analysed it looks certain to equal or surpass the record breaking 2006 Festival.
There is still more to come in terms of photographic records and the seeds of ideas implemented during the past nine days that will yet flourish into benefits for the people of Whitstable.
On top of this, we all had a helluva good time!
The Whitstable Oyster Festival Association will be arranging a meeting in early September where those involved can be thanked personally and those thinking of getting involved can also join in to discuss the way forward to WOF2008, the 2008 Whitstable Oyster Festival.
This meeting will also be the last that Art Hewitt, the Festival Co-ordinator for the past three Festivals, attends in his role before he moves on to new challenges. We are sure that the many friends that Art has made among the people of Whitstable would like the opportunity of showing their appreciation of the fantastic job he has done for us and to wish him the very best for the future.
Labels: Art Hewitt, Whitstable Oyster Festival 2007, WOFA
