Festival of Thrift Q and A

Questions about arrangements, FoT Replies in italics below.

Latest answers will be at the top of this page.

Reply from Emma Dyson – 13th May

  • Location – Bothy Gallery, Walled Garden – Draft layout for Repari Cafe as per diagram below.
    • Can the Festival of Thrift supply 34 chairs and 10 tables (~2x1m)?  If not how many?We’re happy to provide this many tables and chairs but just want to make sure you will actually need all 34?
      • We happy to provide them, but just want to make sure we’re not overfilling the space if they’re not all going to be used. 
    • The Repair Cafes will supply 2 gazebos that will be placed against the external wall by the entrance and exit doors to the Bothy Gallery.  We are concerned about people waiting. Could we place an additional gazebo between the two doors as a covered waiting area?
      • We think that the 2 should be fine, and (fingers crossed) the sun will be shining! You could always just take names, and ask people to come back maybe if there is a bit of wait? They’ll be lots of activity in the area so plenty for people to go away and come back to.
    • Does the Bothy Gallery have water and a sink?  If not where can we prepare hot drinks for the volunteers and wash up reusable cups etc.?
      • The bothy doesn’t have water, but we’ll look into somewhere where you could fill up kettles and wash up (possibly the pavillion next door). If you’re offering refreshments for your volunteers this will need to be set up and managed in your space, but we will organise somewhere else for filling up a kettle and washing.
    • Will vehicle access close to the Bothy Gallery be available at specific times for set-up / take-down?  When / Where / How to gain access?
      • We’re still working on get in and out plans across the site – I’ll confirm these details in your briefing pack. 
  • Security:
    • Our standard approach is to deal with small issues ourselves but call the police for anything more serious.
      • Any issues, please contact the Zone Manager for your area. They will be introduced to you on the day, and you will be given a list of contact details for on the day. Event management will support any issues, and escelate things as appropriate. 
    • What is the escalation procedure the FoT has in place for any issues regarding theft, disruption, or safeguarding?
      • Any issues should be reported to the Zone Manager. Full details in your briefing pack. 
    • Do FoT have policies which we need to adhere to?
      • Details provided in briefing pack. 
  • Access:
    • Can we set up on Friday?
    • Alternatively relatively early access on the Saturday should be fine.Yes you can set up on Friday, or from around 8/9am on Saturday (TBC). We’re still working on the get in plan, so I let you know timings in June. 
    • What time can we access the Bothy Gallery on Saturday and Sunday mornings?
      • TBC – est. 8/9am
    • Can we leave equipment in the Bothy Gallery overnight on Friday/Saturday?
      • Should be fine, we just need to double check with the management of the Walled Garden. 
    • When must we be completely cleared out on Sunday/Monday?
      • We’ll have staff on site until late on Sunday so you’ll have plenty of time to pack away once the festival has finsihed.
    • Where is the designated exhibitor parking, and how does the exhibitor access pass system work?
      • Main parking for both exhibitors and public is on the Kirkleatham Show Ground field, and accessible parking is available at Kirkleatham Walled Garden car park. Parking this year is free so no passes required. 
  • Publicity:
    • How do we connect with FoT publicity?
      • Hannah is our Marketing Manager; she’s on leave until next Tuesday but I’ll do an email intro. 
    • Does FoT need more information / media from the Repair Cafe for FoT publicity?
      • I believe I’ve got your organisations logos for now, but if you have any images of the cafes in action that might help us promote your offer.
      • And any info about upcoming cafe dates post festival, we’d be happy to share also and signpost people too.
    • Do you have branding guidelines?
      • Hannah can provide further details.
    • Are the attached flyers ok?
      • That should be fine for now if you want to start promoting your end. Hannah might have edits when she gets back, and can update you if so.
    • Please could we have a list of the media that FoT is already contacting?Hannah can provide more info.
  • Transport:
    • We will minimise our travel footprint as much as possible. Does FoT have any guidance to help us, for example local tips?
      • We’re working on our travel guidance – this will be in your briefing pack.
    • Will additional transport (beyond normal public transport) be available to get people from local areas to the FoT site?
      • TBC
  • Reuse / Recycling / Waste:
    • Is there a FoT guide on what will be available on the Festival Site?Do you mean just for waste management?
      • We’ll have a variety of waste disposal including recycling across the festival site. 
    • Are there any attendees who will take items for reuse?
      • Can you explain what you mean here? From yourselves or other vendors?
    • Do you have any plans for batteries / WEEE?
      • Do you mean from your offer or generally on site? As far as I’m aware we won’t have battery recycling onsite.
    • Does the FoT have a list of local reuse / repair / upcycling businesses / locations in the Tees Valley?  Useful to suggest to people if we can’t repair things.
      • Not currently. It’s something we can look into.