Great Essex Feast 2010

Over the weekend of 27th and 28th February people all across Essex hosted simultaneous dinner and lunch parties as part of the Great Essex Feast all in aid of two very worthy causes; Essex Air Ambulance and Friends of Essex Churches Trust.

Most donations have now been received and counted. The Feast turned out to be a huge success; raising over £20,000, which will be split equally between the 2 charities.

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Over 70 hosts from across the county wined and dined their friends in exchange for a donation. Hosts were free to hold whatever dinner party they wished from gourmet dinners to fish and chip suppers.

Fiona Nelmes and Katie Griffith-Jones of Chelmsford co-hosted a Black Tie Dinner on Saturday night for 18 friends. They also put their friends’ knowledge of local history to the test with an Essex themed quiz. The winner took home a bottle of wine and an Essex Air Ambulance tea towel.   

As hosts, Fiona and Katie were very keen to support two local charities. They said, “We think it is a really fun way to raise money – we had a great evening entertaining our friends.

Carolyn Rogers from Brentwood hosted a ‘Mother’s and Daughter’s’ lunch for nine of her friends on Sunday. She  said, “I just thought it was a really good idea. I know how important and difficult it is for the Essex Air Ambulance to raise money for the cause and, as we know, the service saves many lives across Essex.

Clare Dobie, Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trustee said, “For Essex Air Ambulance it was a real pleasure to work with the Friends of Essex Churches Trust. The Great Essex Feast provides a model of how two worthwhile local charities can cooperate effectively to raise money and have fun.” 

Award winning British Master Chef Mark Baumann endorses the Great Essex Feast!

The team at Essex Air Ambulance are thrilled to be working with Baumann's Brasserie and Cooking Academy for this unique and exciting fundraising event.

"I am absolutely thrilled to endorse this great idea that brings together the excitement of food and dining with the necessity of the service provided by the Air Ambulance". Bon Appetite, and get cooking!!! - British  Master Chef Mark Baumann of Baumanns Brasserie / Academy /Consultancy.

Thank you for your support!

Essex Air Ambulance would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to the following food outlets for their support:

H Gunton, Colchester

Kerrdge Butchers, Nayland

G Millin & Sons, Tiptree

Islander Fish Bar, Mersea

Hairclubbin, Westcliff

The Essex Golf & Country Club, Earls Colne

Sainsbury's, Tollgate, Colchester

The Food Hall, Maks Tey

Gellers Butchers, Colchester
 
Frank Wright & Sons, Colchester
 

The Friends of Essex Churches Trust is non-denominational and raises money for the repair and restoration of Christian churches and chapels in Essex and East London.  Money is raised by donations, legacies and fundraising events and therefore, like the Essex Air Ambulance, the charity is utterly reliant on the generosity of the Essex public. All staff are volunteers so that every penny raised is handed on for the maintenance of local churches.

The Great Essex Feast is supported by:

Schools get creative for Great Essex Feast!

The organising committee for the Great Essex Feast decided to run a competition to find a logo for this great new event which was open to local schools across Essex. School children were given the challenging task of coming up with an original idea for the event logo and a strap line which could be used in promotional materials.

There were some fantastic entries submitted which made it very difficult for the judges to make a decision but after some deliberation the judges picked their winner, Fraser Walker from Woodlands School, Basildon. They really liked the concept of the upright cutlery, which they thought was relevant, stylish and eye catching. The winning design was then given to design agency, Perception Advertising Ltd to turn into a finished piece of artwork.

On Wednesday 25 November Fraser was presented with his prize of £100 by Wendy Byland, Events Manager of Essex Air Ambulance during a school assembly. He will also get to meet the designers at Perception Advertising Ltd and observe them at work, plus the school will be treated to a special visit by the Essex Air Ambulance, giving everybody there the opportunity to look around the helicopter and meet the crew up close and personal! 

The runner up of the competition was Katy Hadlow of FitzWimarc School, Radleigh who came up with the strap line ‘Raise a glass, raise awareness’ which the judges really liked as it is short, punchy and memorable. Katy wins £25.