This year’s Cathedral Christmas Gift and Food Fair on Saturday 22 November 2014 will be bigger than ever, with a hundred and ten stalls on show inside the Cathedral and also The Old Deanery Hotel on Minster Road.
Margaret Hammond, Fundraising Manager at the Cathedral said: We are delighted that we have received so much support from local and regional businesses this year and we are looking forward to welcoming thousands of visitors to experience a wonderful seasonal atmosphere in the fabulous surroundings of Ripon Cathedral.
The ever popular Christmas Gift and Food Fair brings crowds of visitors to Ripon from all over Yorkshire to enjoy a fun day of Christmas shopping, food and live musical entertainment throughout the day, hot turkey sandwiches and mulled wine. Santa’s grotto, face painting and children’s activities will keep the children amused.
John Westland a visitor who attended in 2013 said: Can I congratulate the organisers, stallholders, performers and volunteers on the Christmas Fair on what was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. There was a real Christmas atmosphere in the Cathedral, the variety of stalls truly reflected everything one would wish to find at a Christmas Fair, especially the turkey sandwiches, they were fantastic.
This year students and staff from Harrogate College and staff from The British Legion’s Lister House, members of the Mother’s Union and many individuals from the local community are supporting the Christmas cake stall by baking delicious home-made Christmas cakes which will be beautifully wrapped and on sale in the Cathedral on the day. The 21 Engineer Regiment from Claro Barracks are kindly helping the Cathedral staff with the set-up of the Fair.
The proceeds from the fair will go towards a £5million target to endow the Ripon Cathedral Music Trust which seeks to secure and develop the Cathedral’s reputation as a major centre of musical excellence, provide accessible musical training through membership of the Cathedral Choir, develop an inclusive outreach programme to take musical excellence into the region and to work in partnership with others who share our passion for music.
The Music Trust will be launched on Sunday 14th December at Britten’s Ceremony of Carols at the Cathedral.
