Free food worth £1,000 handed to visitors at successful Dearne event

Hundreds of Easter Eggs were also distributed to visitors at the third annual spring fair, held at Goldthopre’s railway embankment park.

The park was created several years ago from an area of ground which had previously been wasteland, blighted by flytipping.

The Goldthorpe Railway Embankment Group was set up to help operate the park, and organised the fair alongside Dearne Churches Together, but a report to the Dearne Area Council, an offshoot of Barnsley Council, states the group “still require support in order to keep the group running and to help put on events such as this”.

The area council has its own team of staff and they are able to offer assistance, which included putting in a bid for funding, organising a visit by then Mayor of Barnsley Cllr Mick Stowe and his wife Elaine, along with helping out with equipment like gazebos.

The result was a community event which was attended by around 1,000 residents, which was organised deliberately to be free, as an acknowledgement that the area is one of the most deprived in Barnsley, where many families struggle to make ends meet.

A queue formed for the fruit and vegetables, which were gone within two hours, and around 300 Easter eggs were also given to children.

Visitors were also given small pea and bean plants, in compostible pots, to try to encourage more people to attempt growing their own produce.

Other attractions included a ‘zoo’ of visiting animals for children to see.

A report to the area council states: “The project just continued to build on good working relationships with community groups in the area.”

The area council meets on Monday, when councillors who represent the two Dearne wards will her that the objective was “to provide a free activity for all the community, but with a focus on families having fun.

“Poor health, often as a result of poverty, is also an issue in the area.

“Therefore the event looked at trying to encourage healthy eating and growing your own, which can be cheaper and more sustainable.”