On Saturday 14th May 2022, The Quay at Newport Harbour was to 'Riverfest': a free event for families and locals to enjoy, offering a great line-up of entertainment, music, and food. Cherry Godfrey were delighted to take part in this wonderful community experience whilst raising money for the Mountbatten Hospice.
The sun was shining on Riverfest this year, which took place from 10:00 until 16:00 – and there was lots of fun to be had! The event opened with a ‘Pirates’ Parade’, with local ‘pirates’ (anyone could join the parade, provided they dressed accordingly!) processing from St Thomas’ Square up to the Quay. With live music, local marching bands, vintage vehicles, rides, and lots of small stalls selling everything from doughnuts to pottery, the atmosphere was fantastic. Indeed, we believe it was the largest turnout for a few years: a true celebration of the area and of life post-pandemic.
As mentioned, the event is free, though donations towards Newport Carnival’s 100th Anniversary were welcomed. In addition, there were fundraising efforts taking place – including at Cherry Godfrey’s stall!
This year, we set up a food stall in order to raise money for the Mountbatten Hospice. Mountbatten is an independent charity that provides end-of-life care: it’s the only Isle of Wight hospice and a leading provider of palliative care to the community. Experts in their field, the team at Mountbatten “promote and provide good care and support for those people living with, affected by, or curious about death, dying and bereavement across the Isle of Wight.” On any given day, Mountbatten provides care to over 650 people.
Our food stall featured homemade Chicken and Prawn Jambalaya, cooked by our very own Graham Thoume (Director of Group Operations)! This delicious meal was cooked in a large paella pan over gas (the pan was very kindly lent to us by All About Catering – to whom we are truly grateful, because without the pan we wouldn’t have been able to run our stall). Graham’s dish was a triumph: many customers enjoyed it so much that they returned for second helpings (and asked for the recipe!). Thank you, Graham! And thank you, too, to all the Cherry Godfrey staff who pitched in, shopping for ingredients, helping to prepare the food, setting up the stall, and serving our customers. A special thanks also to Jenna Skillen, our Quality Control Administrator, who brought her mum’s homemade cakes to our stall – it was fantastic to be able to offer a sweet option, and to raise even more money by asking people to donate as much as they could spare in return for a slice of cake.
We were thrilled to be part of Riverfest’s triumphant return, and to see so many locals enjoying themselves. Most of all, we were proud to be able to raise £800 for Mountbatten – we know how important the hospice is to the local community - and to get the chance to chat to so many people.
