Festival plans growing

Mirfield Town Council and Eastthorpe Hall - The Health and Beauty Spa have given grants and sponsorship to help get the fledgling festival off the ground.

And now the award-winning Hopton In Bloom team has added its support to the celebrations on July 2.

Yorkshire Sweet Pea Society secretary Darren Myers said: “Hopton in Bloom have agreed to have a sweet pea theme for their annual garden visit, which coincides with the festival, and will be organising trips on the day from St Paul’s Church to Upper Hopton to view the gardens.

“We want to try to get as much interaction and involvement with the people in the town has possible, to get shops decorated and schools involved.”

The first Mirfield Sweet Pea Festival will be held alongside the 13th Yorkshire Sweet Pea Championships in St Paul’s Church.

“We are looking forward to seeing such a superb venue filled with the sight and scent of hundreds of vases of sweet peas,” said Mr Myers.

“Schedules have been sent to more than 50 hopeful exhibitors from as far south as Staffordshire to as far north as Dumfries. We also have a number of craft stalls, a tombola and a sweet peace advice stand.

“Mirfield Town Council has been fully supportive of what we are trying to achieve and we hope that we can repay the town with an event to be proud of and provide local businesses with an economic boost.”

As the festival draws closer, children at four schools and nurseries are busy growing 120 sweet pea plants donated by the society for a special school competition.

And shops have been invited to enter a new class which will reward the shop with the best decorated window.