The Festival Team
The Steyning & District Food and Drink Festival is brought to you by a superb band of hard working, innovative, dedicated people – all volunteers ! The picture alongside shows the original group in around 2019. Always difficult to get everyone together for a photo, but we will try hard to get a more current picture of our 2026 team taken this year😊
The amount of voluntary time they give to the event is quite mind blowing, but as long as it is successful and enjoyed by many, it is all worth it. Would you like to help next year? If so, we would love to hear from you. Please email: steyningsouthdowns@gmail.com
Team Members
Reina Alston
Director & Vice Chair of the Steyning & District Community Partnership, Reina is past Chair of the Food & Drink Festival and is still happy to give any help and assistance that may become needed. Looking after our website’s input, this means she still keeps updated with all that is happening within this great annual Festival.
Russell Barnes
Russell is a Director of the Community Partnership plus being Chair of the Visitors & Tourism Group. His enthusiasm and energy for community work is boundless. Luckily he is an architect by profession, so he is used to keeping projects on course ! Along with being happy to jump in and help wherever he can with our Festival events, his real favourite is the Street Food Piazza, which he will be looking after this year.
Lou Crush
Lou’s father, Derek Crush, was the instigator of the Steyning Farmers Market back in 1991. Since then it has grown to be one of the best loved events in the town and in 2014/2015 the Steyning Farmers Market won the Sussex Food & Drink Awards Best Sussex Farmers Market and in 2018 were Grand Finalists. Lou has now solely taken on running the regular monthly Market, with her Father taking well earned retirement. The Market continues to progress and thrive under her wing, with new ideas and concepts constantly emerging. Her enthusiasm and knowledge of all things rural is an essential asset to our team plus, of course, relying on her to put into place special “events” for the September Farmers Market which also serves as our Opening Day..
Janine Dee
Janine owns and runs The Cobblestone Tea House and the Cobblestone Walk. With her wealth of catering experience from many years in the trade, taking on a Tea House has been a dream come true – she always says: “I love coming to work, I enjoy it so much!”. The Cobblestone Walk is unique, housing a wide variety of entrepreneurial small businesses, such a superb asset to Steyning . We benefit from her ideas and enthusiasm to support the local community in as many ways as she can – especially within our Food & Drink Team.
Alison Durcan
Alison is primarily involved in organising the Charity Coffee Morning, something that the Festival is very proud to include in our itinerary of events. She is an enthusiastic member of our Festival Team, taking on the co-ordination role, and also a volunteer serving on the Partnership’s Visitor & Tourism Committee. Steeped in experience of organising events & projects, we are lucky to have her on board.
Kate Gover
Kate is probably best known for Kate’s Cookhouse, which she successfully ran for many years and had a regular stall at the Steyning & Shoreham Farmers Markets. In 2019, Kate and her husband Bill, decided to enjoy a 3-year adventure by sailing around the world, a fantastic voyage. However, we are now so happy that she is home again and back supporting the Community by working on the Visitor & Tourism Committee and also assisting in organising the F & D Festival. With her wealth of catering experience and business acumen, she has invaluable input.
Les Nicholson
Les – and his wife Louise – own The Artisan Bakehouse in Ashurst, 2018 winners of the Sussex Food & Drink Awards Best Eating Experience. As with all our Committee, Les is ultra busy running his own establishment and yet manages to give up some of his precious time to support the Festival. Being one of our Ashurst businesses, he makes sure his village plays an important part within the Festival. Check out all the wonderful special workshops and events that the Bakehouse hosts during the Festival season.
Ian Northeast
Highly qualified, Ian owns Eightfold Marketing. His office is located in Cobblestone Walk, so right in the heart of our local community. He brings to our group his vast experience in digital marketing, targeting social media campaigns & creating websites. A fantastic contact to help us promote our Festival in the best possible way; we are so lucky to have him within our team.
May we take this opportunity to thank our superb and generous sponsors. Without their support and enthusiasm our Festival could not take place – thank you so much.
This year our sponsors are:
CHURCH BARN GROUP - Privately owned and proudly independent, with the resources to move swiftly on projects that excite. With a wealth of specialist knowledge gained over thirty years in the property market, they bring a personal approach to investment, development and land promotion within the residential and commercial markets. www.churchbarngroup.co.uk
STEYNING PARISH COUNCIL - Existing to serve the totality of the community with all its disparate needs and interests, the Council also kindly support district community projects and events whenever possible. www.steyningpc.gov.uk
HORSHAM DISTRICT COUNCIL - Providing a range of public services making Horsham District a great place to live, work and visit. Supporting local communities with advice on availability of grants & funding for projects and events; various free training programmes/workshops and start-up business support and information. www.horsham.gov.uk
MANSELL McTAGGART - your dependable one-stop-shop if you’re searching for your ideal home, planning to market your current property, or looking to let. https://www.mansellmctaggart.co.uk/branch/steyning/
H J BURT - One of the area's longest standing independent estate agencies; unprecedented service, covering all property matters. www.hjburt;co.uk
STEYNING & DISTRICT COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP –Volunteers organising projects/events to bring benefit to residents, businesses & visitors. The Steyning & District Food & Drink Festival is a sub committee of the Partnership's Visitor & Tourism Committee. www.visitsteyning.co.uk
WEST GRINSTEAD PLOUGHING & AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY - established in 1871. Very pro-active in promoting the interests of the local farming community. www.westgrinsteadploughing.co.uk
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